Best Birthday Gift Ever
by cvcs09
Summary: It's Luke and Leia's 12th birthday. Anakin and Luke have some Father/Son bonding (in a very special way). Leia and Padme appear here-and-there. Even Obi-Wan makes an appearance!


Best Birthday Gift ever

ANAKIN'S POV

"Luke and Leia are in bed now." Padme said as she walked outside to find Anakin staring at the Binary Sunset. "What are you doing out here?"

"Just thinking." Anakin replied, kicking some that was underneath him. Anakin hated sand, and everything about it. "Head inside. I'll be in soon."

"Okay. I'll be in the bedroom." Padme agreed as she walked into the hut. The Skywalker family was lucky enough to buy Owen and Beru's place, so now, Owen and Beru are living with Obi-Wan.

Anakin stood there for about 30 minutes; meditating and thinking about random things, mainly of his mother. HERE is where she died; HERE is where she and her son had to be slaves. His thoughts had to be cut short because of the faint shouts of the Tusken Raiders. He rushed inside, checked on Luke and Leia, and into the room he shared with Padme.

PADME'S POV

The next morning, Padme woke up to find Anakin's side of the bed empty. She got dressed, and exited the room to find her husband. First, she checked on the twins. Leia was still sound asleep in her bed; Luke bed was empty. _If Anakin AND Luke are awake, the most obvious place to find the two would be the workshop _She thought as she walked toward the workshop. Padme stood in the doorway workshop, to find Luke and Anakin. They were fixing a section of a power converter.

"Yep, place RIGHT there. Now screw it on." Anakin told his son, as Anakin held something in place while Luke screwed it on.

"How long have you two been up?" She asked, walking closer to the boys.

"About 2 or 3 hours, I think."Luke answered, putting the screwdriver away, and looking at the work he and his father had done.

"Didn't want to wake you or Leia, so Luke and I decided to work on this power converter." Anakin said, cleaning his hands with a, somewhat clean, rag. "Luke, that's enough for today. Go get cleaned up."

" Ok, Dad." Luke said as he left the workshop and headed toward the refresher.

"Leia's still asleep?" Anakin asked after kissing his wife. _Every day, Leia is becoming more and more like Padme._ He thought, noticing how Leia and Padme liked to sleep in.

"Last I checked, she still was." Padme answered, walking towards the kitchen, with Anakin following behind her. Anakin stopped following her when he reached the living room, where he sat on the sofa. Luke walked out of the refresher and walked towards his room to get dressed. Leia, woke up; hair all static, and walked out to the living room. Her father couldn't help, but laugh out loud.

"You look like lovely." Anakin complemented, sarcastically, and in between laughs.

"Thanks, Dad. Mom, when's breakfast ready?" Leia called as she stood at her bedroom door frame.

"In about 5 minutes. Why don't you go get dressed in the meantime?" She called from the kitchen.

"Okay." Leia said, closing the door to her bedroom.

When Luke and Leia were out of their bedrooms, breakfast was ready. It was Luke and Leia's favorite: pancakes.

"Pancakes! Thanks, Mom!" Leia said as she dug into a couple pancakes.

ANAKIN'S POV

"Happy 12th birthday, you two!" Padme said cheerfully. He had TOTALLY forgotten about the twins ( and the Empire's) birthday.

"Dad, are we gonna do the thing you and I do every year?" Luke asked me as Luke finished a bite. He LOVED the thing they did: watching the Boonta Eve Classic.

"Yes. We are, Luke. This time, they're gonna show the podracer I built." Anakin answered, pushing his plate away, showing that he was finished. " Luke, you're also going Obi-Wan's for a little bit. He wants to test your lightsaber skills."

"Oh. Ok! Mom, where are you 'n' Leia plan on going today?"

"Well, I was thinking: a nice cruise through Beggar's Canyon. What do you think, Leia?" Padme asked her daughter's opinion for the suggestion, while she gathered the dirty plates.

" That sounds nice." Leia agreed. "Dad, it is okay that I see Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru?"

"Leia, that sounds nice, but not as nice as podracing! Also, when you're get back, it'll be WAY too late. " Luke threw his comment into the conversation.

"Padme, why don't you do Beggar's Canyon, first. Then, on the way back, you can stop there and pick him up?" He suggested to his wife.

" No, Anakin. Since YOU have to go over there and talk to Obi-Wan, why don't YOU and Luke leave from there?" Padme suggested as she walked out of the kitchen and into the dining room.

"It's settled then. Luke, get in the speeder and wait for me there." Anakin ordered Luke, although Luke was already out the door.

OBI-WAN'S POV

"I was wondering when you'd show up." Obi-Wan said, greeting Anakin and Luke as the two walked through the entry way. "Let's see how much you've improved, Luke." He said, tossing him a training saber.

"Luke, if we wanna get to the thing in time, we have to go now." Anakin advised his son (after a few hours of training), while he was leaning against a door frame.

"Thanks, Ben. See you soon." Luke said, tossing Obi-Wan the training blade, and rushing out the door.

"I can't wait to see your legendary podracer, dad!" Luke shouted with excitement as he and his father neared Mos Espa.

"I was only nine-years-old when I built it." Anakin told Luke, who was now struck with awe. "There's Mos Espa. After the race, we're stopping at Watto's. He has some parts we need for that power converter."

"Ok. I'd probably be asleep by then." Luke guessed, which led to both of the guys laughing.

VADER'S POV

While Luke and Anakin flew by, a shadowy figure stood on a cliff. He was looking through a pair of binoculars, and then turned on the comlink on his right forearm.

"Master, I found our target, and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Looks like they're heading toward the Mos Espa Grand Arena." The figure said into his wrist comlink.

"Good. You have done well, Lord Vader. Now follow them. Be sure to bring me the boy, and destroy Jedi Skywalker." The other person's voice said.

"Yes, My Master." Vader said, turning off his comlink, hopping on to his speeder and speeding away to follow the Skywalkers.

ANAKIN'S POV

"Remember; Stick as close to me as possible. Here is a good place to get lost in." Anakin told his son as they stopped at the Mos Espa Grand Arena, and walked inside.

"Dad, there it is; Your podracer." Luke pointed. Right infront of them; was a yellow and blue colored podracer. Above it, these words shown in bright lights:

ANAKIN SKYWALKER'S PODRACER

"I haven't seen this thing in 25 years." He said, laying his eyes on it. It still looks the same way it did that long ago.

"C'mon, dad. The race is starting." Luke said, heading out towards the seats. Anakin caught up, helped Luke pick out a seat for the both of them, and sat down.

" Let's go through the starting line-up for the race." The announcer said through a microphone. The audience cheered and clapped with excitement.

"First up, Bob Quadroscepter..." The announcer said, going through the list. Luke hated the starting line-up, because he knew all the racers, and he DIDN'T need it repeated.

"Dad, can I go to the refresher?" Luke asked me, as the announcer was 75% through the Line-up.

"Sure. Don't get lost and remember your way back." Anakin said. He, too, hated the Line-Up.

"Okay, dad." Luke said as he got up from his seat.

VADER'S POV

"Lord Vader, there's the boy." A stormtrooper pointed out Luke, who was within the crowd. _If the boy is here, then Jedi Skywalker wouldn't be that far behind._ Vader thought as he narrowed closer to young Skywalker. Luke saw Vader and his troops walk closer and closer to him. He froze, with fear. Then, he bolted, running through the crowd. He felt like his legs were going to collapse, due to how fast Luke was running.

ANAKIN'S POV

_Where is Luke? He would be here by now._ He thought as the podrace had officially started. Then, He felt something different. **Vader... Stormtroopers... Luke!** He immediately knew that something was wrong. He left his seat, and was walking the way Luke had gone.

LUKE'S POV

" C'mon, dad! Where are you when I need you?" Luke muttered as he was running for his life. He didn't notice a part of a pit droid lying in the direction of which Luke was running. He tripped, getting a nice, big bruise when he landed.

" I have you, now!" Vader said as he neared him, who was hunched over in pain. Luke froze, again, in fear. "Knock him out." he said, ordering a stormtrooper. The stormtrooper raised the back end of his blaster, and let gravity take over.

ANAKIN'S POV

"Luke!" Anakin said, running in, right at the time the stormtrooper swung the back of his blaster onto Luke's forehead. He hid as he saw Vader examine the unconscious Luke, put him on his shoulder, and walk away. _I have to beat them to their ship. FAST!_ Anakin thought, using the Force to cloak his identity, and walked some distance infront of the enemy. When he found Vader's ship, Anakin put a homing beacon on it. Sensing that Vader and his troops were close by, he ran toward his speeder, jumped in, and waited.

VADER'S POV

"Pilot, start the ship." Vader said when he got in his ship, and placed the unconscious, young Skywalker on a thin bed.

" Yes, Sir." The pilot said, as Vader's wrist comlink chirped. A hologrammed image of Darth Sidious appeared.

" Has the task succeeded, Lord Vader?" Sidious asked.

" Yes and no. We have Young Skywalker, but we did not see Jedi Skywalker." He said as Luke was starting to wake up.

"I will be expecting your arrival on the Death Star." Sidious said as his image faded away.

LUKE'S POV

_Man, that guy has some STRONG blaster_. Luke thought as he put my forehead in his palm. Once he'd woken up, the first person he saw was Darth Vader.

"Dad, HELP!" Luke cried, heading towards the farthest corner of the bed. He immediately sent a Force cry to his father. "What do you want with me?!"

"The Emperor wants to see you in person." Vader explained. "Also, we're going to the Death Star."

" This is the WORST birthday ever! He mumbled.

ANAKIN'S POV

Anakin had to go back home to get the Twilight. He locked in the coordinates of Vader's ship.

"The Death Star?! Padme's gonna kill me. " Anakin said as he left Tatooine's atmosphere.

VADER'S POV

Vader's shuttle landed in one of the hangar bay aboard the Death Star. Luke wished that today would be over already.

"Follow me." He ordered; Luke had reluctantly followed. Vader led Luke to a prison hold. Luke looked up at him as Vader told the guard what he was doing with Luke.

"Come." He said, leading Luke to his prison cell. Once they got to the entrance, he pushed Luke inside. "You will see the Emperor in a few days." Vader said, closing the door and walking away from Luke's cell.

PADME'S POV

"Thanks, Mom." Leia said as she and Padme walked into their hutt. "Mom, there's a note here for you, and it's from Dad." She said, giving her mother a piece of paper. It said:

LUKE GOT CAPTURED BY THE EMPIRE

GONE OUT TO RESCUE HIM

DON'T GO ANYWHERE

IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, GO TO OBI-WAN

LOVE YOU TWO -ANAKIN

Padme felt tears come out of her eyes when she read that Luke had been captured. Bad news is that, now, the Empire knows where they live.

_Be Safe and Good Luck_ She thought as she gave her daugher the note. Leia, too, was in tears when she read that her twin brother was captured.

A FEW DAYS LATER...

ANAKIN'S POV

When Anakin neared the spheric weapon, the Death Star used it's tractor beam to drag him into the weapon. _GOTTA HIDE_. He thought as he jumped out of the Twilight, and quickly ran toward a hiding spot. When he got to a hiding spot, Anakin sensed a very familiar Force signature: **Luke's.**

LUKE'S POV

Luke laid down, cold, on the metal slab they called a "bed". Emperor meetings usually meant one thing: death. He had started to cry at that thought. His crying suddenly stopped when he felt a familiar Force presence: **Anakin's.**

" Dad!" He shouted, relieved that his father was here save Luke. Vader just walked through the entrance.

"The Emperor would like to see you." Vader said as Luke stood up and solemnly followed Vader to the Throne Room.

ANAKIN'S POV

It took Anakin MULTIPLE times to get to the Prison Hold, due to the fact that he'd gotten lost so many times. **FORCE! I WISH I WAS GOOD WITH DIRECTIONS!**

EMPEROR'S POV

"I've been expecting you, Young Skywalker." Emperor Palpatine said, swinging around his chair to face my apprentice and the boy. "You have done well, Lord Vader."

"What do you want with me? I just wanna go home." Luke said, almost crying. **DAD, NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME**.

"I want you to witness true Sith power!" Sidious said, striking Luke with Force Lightning.

"Dad! HELP!" Luke yelled in pain. He saw somebody walk through the door, then, he lost all strength, collapsing on the floor.

ANAKIN'S POV

Anakin stood in the doorway, watching his sin collapse unto the floor; with his anger boiling over.

"Vader, you may do the honors." Sidious said, letting his apprentice have a turn.

" No...please do-" Luke pleaded, but stopped because Vader was choking him. Luke turned his head towards the door, and saw his father, lightsaber ignited, looking back at him "DAD!"

"Ah. Welcome, Knight Skywalker. Would you like to watch your son die?" Emperor greeted Anakin as Anakin lunged at Vader.

"DROP LUKE, NOW!" Anakin said, tackling Vader, causing Luke to collapse unto the floor. Luke sat there, coughing for air.

Luke saw the Emperor walk towards him. The Emperor had Force Lightning in his hands

"NO! PLEASE DON'T!" Luke screamed, begging to stop the torchering.

Anakin had, finally, knocked Vader out. NOW, TO SAVE LUKE. He bolted to Luke. He wasn't fast enough, because the Emperor shocked Luke, maximum power, with Force Lightning.

"DAD, PLEASE. HELP ME!" Luke said, inbetween screams of pain. The Lightning lasted about 5 more seconds.

"Now, Young Skywalker... You will die." Sidious said as Vader woke up and Force Chocked Luke as hard as possible.

"No!" Anakin screamed, slicing off Vader's right forearm and force pushing Sidious as far as possible. With the time he had available, he carried Luke, who is now unconscious, put him on his shoulder and bolted for the Twilight. Earlier, Anakin had, somehow, found the tractor beam generator, and deactivated it.

Anakin had reached the Twilight, put Luke in the co-pilot's chair, punched in the coordinates, and flew out of the hangar bay. When he was for surely out of the tractor beam's distance, he flipped on the hyperspace, and the Twilight disappeared.

As the Twilight was in lightspeed, Anakin placed his son in the medical bed.

"C'mon Luke. Give me a sign." He mumbled as he put the oxygen mask on Luke's face, and turned in on. He sat in a nearby chair and waited for his son to regain consciousness. Tatooine was across the galaxy, so it would be a LONG trip.

A FEW HOURS LATER...

LUKE'S POV

Luke gasped as he woke up, frightened, and sat straight up. He rubbed the back of his head, wondering where he was.

" It's alright, Luke. You're safe. It was just a dream." Boomed a familiar voice, who was sitting at Luke's bedside.

"DAD!" Luke yelled, lunging at his father, wrapping his arms around Anakin. "You saved me! What happened? Are we on the Twilight?"

" Yes, we are. I'll tell you what happened later, but first, you need to recuperate. Get some sleep." Anakin said, taking off the oxygen mask, and turning off the equipment.

"Okay. But, Can you wake me up when we get back home?" Luke said, yawning.

"Don't I always do that?" Anakin said, making Luke laugh. Anakin watched Luke fall asleep, left the medical room, and then walked towards the controls.

LEIA'S POV

"Mom, when's Dad 'n' Luke getting back?" Leia asked, sitting at the table, not touching her lunch

"I don't know, sweetie. But, please eat. You haven't eaten since you read your father's note." Padme begged her daughter.

"I won't eat until Dad and Luke get back, and that's FINAL. Besides, I'm not hungry" Leia protested. It was the Father/Daughter and Twin relationships that made Leia not eat. She missed making fun of her older brother, and the sarcastic comments from her father.

ANAKIN'S POV

The hyperspace stopped infront of Tatooine. Anakin immediately thought of his mother. _Well… Time to get Luke._ He thought as he exited the control room and headed toward the medical area.

LUKE'S POV

this is Luke's dream/nightmare

"_Look, whoever you are, just take me back home." He said walking towards the Throne Room with Darth Vader._

" _You will. In a moments." Vader said, starting to Force Choke Luke. Luke put both of his hands on his neck; trying to breath air. _

" _Good, Vader. Good." The Emperor said walking towards Luke; his red lightsaber ignited. " Now, drop him." _

_Vader dropped Luke, who was gasping, and coughing for air._

" _Die, Young Skywalker." The Emperor said, hovering over Luke. Luke lied there, frozen. The Emperor raised his blade, and then gravity take over._

ANAKIN'S POV

" Luke!" Anakin said; looking at Luke, who was tossing, turning, kicking, and waving his arms all at once in his sleep. " Luke… Luke, calm down."

" No! Don't kill me!" Luke yelled in his sleep, straining from his father, who was trying to calm him down. Luke slowly opened his eyes; to see his father sitting at his bedside, with the smile that always annoyed Luke. " Oh… Hey dad. We at Tatooine?"

" Yes, we are. You can go to the control room when you're ready." Anakin said, helping Luke to stand, and leading him to the control room.

LUKE'S POV

" MOM!" Luke said as he ran into the house as soon as Anakin parked the Twilight.

" Luke! Anakin! You're safe!" Padme squealed as her son attacked her and hugged. Soon after, Anakin kissed Padme. Leia rushed out of her room; tears on her cheeks.

"I… I thought i wouldn't see you again." Leia said, while hugging her twin brother. " Luke, where'd you get that bruise on your face?"

" You don't wanna know." Luke said, flipping some hair out of his face. Then, Leia rushed to her father.

" I missed you SO much." Leia said, in between tears, as she was hugging father.

" Well, now Luke and I are back home." Anakin said as Padme, Luke, and Leia engaged into a family hug.

" This is the BEST birthday gift EVER!" Luke and Leia said at the same time.


End file.
